This invention relates to display devices, and particularly relates to information display devices which are used to display, hold and protect product information display cards at retail stores. In particular, the present invention is directed towards information display systems in which the information display cards within the information display systems may be easily replaced or rearranged by retail store personnel. Furthermore, the information display system of the present invention is such that it may be easily manipulated by the prospective customers so as to obtain ready visual access information on a merchandise item.
Display devices are commonly used by retailers to display product information. Display devices are most suitable for products in which a substantial description of their features and specifications needs to be delivered to customers. Such products may include various electronic devices, automobile accessories, machinery and tools. At the same time, the use of display devices also permits an attractive display of product advertisements.
The field of display devices is indeed a crowded art and encompasses a wide variety of differing embodiments. In general, a display device comprises at least one display card and a transparent panel which overlies at least one display card. The display card provides all of the requisite information about the particular merchandise product. The product information shown on the display card may be in the form of written descriptions, photos, graphic arts or any combination thereof. Typically, a display device is mounted on the front edge region of a shelving unit such that customers have ready visual access to the product information on the display card.
Most display devices available in the market to date are manufactured from a relatively rigid plastic or synthetic resinous material, using an extrusion process. This process requires the expensive preparation of a mould and the cutting of extruded sheets of plastic or synthetic resinous material for the display devices. The entire manufacturing process is time consuming and expensive. In fact, if the retailer demands a large number of display devices, he needs to place orders far in advance. Furthermore, since the unit cost of manufacturing such display devices is so high, purchasing a display device for each kind of product in the retailer""s inventory may become very expensive.
The present inventors herein have provided an information display system which is simple and economical to manufacture. The information display system of the present invention is vacuum formed from plastics material. This process of manufacturing is much faster and cost-effective when compared to the extrusion process described above. Here, the expensive construction of an extrusion mould for the information display system is not required, as the base portion of the information display system of the present invention is typically vacuum formed over a relatively inexpensive vacuum forming mould.
Furthermore, the structural features of the information display system of the present invention make it a much more versatile display system than those provided in the prior art. The information display system of the present invention is an integral structure having at least one display pocket which is hingedly attached. Each of the at least one display pocket is openable in at least one of its ends such that at least one information display card may be inserted into the at least one display pocket. The at least one display pocket functions to protect the at least one information display card, especially its edges from damage. Prospective customers may read the information contained on the front and back of the information display cards by simply turning the display pocket on its hinge. Retail store personnel may also easily replace or rearrange the information display card within the information display system of the present invention.
When the information display system comprises at least a first display pocket and at least a second display pocket, however, the at least two display pockets are arranged in such a manner that the first display pocket overlies a substantial portion of the second display pocket. Placement of the display pockets in such an overlapping manner greatly increases the amount of information that can be displayed in a small area.
Several typical prior art display devices are now described. They include ABRAMSON and BAKE U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,437, issued Apr. 18, 1989, which reveals a merchandise display system. The system includes support means for holding information display means in the form of items or modules having information on the front and back sides thereof. The support means provided by the invention is an extrusion mountable on a wall or other surface in a position to allow viewing of the information display means or product information modules. The support means comprises flexible attachment means such that manipulation of the information display means is permitted. The flexible attachment means is generally a plurality of flexible strips extending from the support means and having free ends thereof. The free ends of the attachment means are adapted to hold the information display means.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,691 issued May 16, 1989 to MANJOS and TRESTYN, the inventors have provided a card display holder and protector which comprises first and second transparent panels connected to one another by a common hinge line. The display holder receives the card to be displayed into the recessed portion of the first panel. The second panel has a projecting surface so as to engage the first panel and to maintain the display holder in a closed position.
In another U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,775 issued Apr. 25, 1995, the inventors ABRAMSON and STEWART teach a merchandise information system which comprises a support having a rigid base, and a plurality of spaced flexible webs, where the flexible webs depend from the rigid base. The display items are attached to the lower end of the webs, and are arranged in a side by side fashion. Typically, the display items are clear plastic envelopes which are adapted to receive display cards or the like. The display items may be viewed through either the front or rear surface of the envelope as the envelopes may be rotated about the respective flexible webs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,427 issued Sep. 1, 1998 to ABRAMSON and STEWART teaches an overlapping merchandise information display module. The system comprises a rigid base, and a plurality of spaced flexible webs which depend from the lower edge of the rigid base. A series of overlapping display items are attached to the lower ends of each of the webs respectively to display one side of the item. The display items may be rotated about the flexible webs so as to display the other side of the item.
In a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/608,948, filed on Jun. 30, 2000, the present inventors ABRAMSON and FERGUSON herein have provided a protective display system which includes at least a first pair of transparent panels wherein each panel has a front face, a back face, and at least one straight peripheral edge and a flexible living hinge. The at least first pair of panels is an envelope which is adapted to receive at least one display card. The protective display system is an unitary structure and the flexible living hinge has greater flexibility than each of the at least one pair of panels.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information display system which is adapted to be affixed to the substantially planar top support surface of a shelf having a downwardly depending front edge in the front edge region thereof. The information display system of the present invention comprises a base portion which includes a shelf contacting panel, a front presentation face, a pair of stiffening ribs, and two side panels, together with at least one display pocket. The information display system is constructed in such a manner that the base portion is an integral structure.
The front presentation face is in a plane which intersects the plane of the shelf contacting panel. Furthermore, there is at least one display pocket which is hingedly attached to the front presentation face.
The front presentation face has first and second ends where each of the first and second ends has one stiffening rib and one side panel which are contiguous one with the other. The stiffening rib and the respective side panel occupy the same plane which is perpendicular to the plane of the front presentation face and the plane of the shelf contacting panel.
Each of the stiffening ribs extends outwardly beyond the front presentation face and each of the stiffening ribs has an edge which coincides with the respective first and second ends of the front presentation face in the edge regions thereof.
Each of the side panels has one side edge which contacts one of the substantially planar top support surface of the shelf in the front edge region thereof, or the surface of the front shelf edge, when the information display system is in use.
The at least one display pocket has top and bottom edges and first and second side ends. Furthermore, the at least one display pocket has top and bottom panels and is such that the top panel overlies a substantial portion of the bottom panel.
The bottom edge of the top panel and the bottom edge of the bottom panel are sealed one to the other. However, the at least one display pocket is openable in at least one of the top and first and second side ends such that at least one display card may be inserted between the top and bottom panels of the at least one display pocket.
The top panel of the at least one display pocket has at least a portion in the region of the top edge which forms a hinge so as to hingedly attach the at least one display pocket to the front presentation face. When the at least one display pocket is hingedly attached to the front presentation face, the first and second side ends of the at least one display pocket lie adjacent to the respective stiffening ribs.
Typically, but not necessarily, the information display system is formed from plastics material. The plastics material of the at least one display pocket is translucent such that each of the faces of the at least one display card which is contiguous with the top and bottom panels of the at least one display pocket is visible through the top and bottom panels of the at least one display pocket.
In a particular embodiment of the present invention, a portion of the front presentation face comprises a plurality of steps, where at least one of the steps is adapted to have at least one display pocket. The at least one display pocket is hingedly attached to the front presentation face.
Typically, but not necessarily, the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket has at least one tang projecting therefrom.
Thus, in order to permit the at least one display pocket to be hingedly attached to the front presentation face, the front presentation face has at least one opening through which the at least one tang projecting from the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket may be inserted.
Alternatively, but not necessarily, the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket may have at least one button formed thereon.
In such a particular embodiment, the front presentation face has at least one opening through which the at least one button which is formed on the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket may be inserted so as to permit the at least one display pocket to be hingedly attached to the front presentation face.
In keeping with the present invention, the at least one display pocket is hingedly attached to the front presentation face by fastening means which is chosen from the group of fastening means consisting of:
(a) inserting at least one tang which projects from the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket through the at least one opening situated in the front presentation face;
(b) inserting at least one button which is formed on the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket through the at least one opening situated in the front presentation face;
(c) gluing the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket to the front presentation face; and
(d) welding the hinge portion of the top panel of the at least one display pocket to the front presentation face.
When the first display pocket is hingedly rotated upward at least 90 degrees from the plane of the front presentation face, the back panel of the first display pocket is visible.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the information display system comprises at least a first display pocket and at least a second display pocket. Typically, the at least two display pockets are arranged in a stepped manner such that the first display pocket overlies a substantial portion of the second display pocket when the information display system is in a static position.
When the first display pocket is hingedly rotated upward at least 90 degrees from the plane of the front presentation face, the back panel of the first display pocket and the top panel of the second display pocket are visible.
Typically, but not necessarily, the base portion of the information display system which is described above may further comprise a supporting panel. The supporting panel extends upwardly from the shelf contacting panel, and the supporting panel and the shelf contacting panel are contiguous one with the other.
Furthermore, the supporting panel is in a plane which intersects the plane of the shelf contacting panel. Still further, the plane of the supporting panel intersects the plane of the front presentation face and each of the planes occupied by each of the stiffening ribs and the respective side panels. Moreover, the supporting panel has first and second side edges, where each of the first and second side edges coincides with one of the side edges of each of the side panels.
Generally, the shelf contacting panel is adapted to be affixed to the substantially planar top support surface of a shelf having a downwardly depending front edge region thereof by attachment means which may be chosen from the group of attachment means consisting of bolts, rivets, studs, pins, and staples.
In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the shelf contacting panel and the front presentation face of the base portion are in two halves. In such an embodiment, a portion of one half of the shelf contacting panel overlies a portion of the other half of the shelf contacting panel, and a portion of one half of the front presentation face overlies a portion of the other half of the front presentation face. The two halves of the shelf contacting panel are joined one over the other so as to form an integral structure.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the shelf contacting panel, the supporting panel and the front presentation face of the base portion are in two halves. In such an embodiment, a portion of one half of the shelf contacting panel overlies a portion of the other half of the shelf contacting panel, a portion of one half of the supporting panel overlies a portion of the other half of the supporting panel, and a portion of one half of the front presentation face overlies a portion of the other half of the front presentation face. The two halves of the shelf contacting panel are joined one over the other so as to form an integral structure.
These and other objects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail hereafter, in association with the accompanying drawings.